The stands at a typical Washington-Liberty (W-L) High School basketball game are packed as students and parents alike cheer on the blue and gray. Braylon Meade was on track to be on the receiving end of a lion’s share of that energy this year in what would have been his senior season. Though he is gone, he still has many fans.
Among his biggest ones? His parents, Kris and Rose. “There wasn’t anyone Braylon wouldn’t give time to,” says Kris. “There wasn’t one person he would disregard. He touched the lives of ‘jocks’, he touched the lives of ‘nerds’, he touched the lives of younger kids through tutoring and basketball…He touched the entire community.”
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) prevented two travelers from bringing their handguns onto flights within a four-day span, bringing the total number of guns detected at the airport checkpoints to five so far this month.
Each weapon was caught as the individuals entered the security checkpoint. The X-ray unit alerted on the carry-on bags, which were searched and the firearms removed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police who confiscated the guns and cited each individual on weapons charges.
Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company (NASDAQ: AMZN), plans to invest $35 billion by 2040 to establish multiple data center campuses across Virginia. Numerous localities in the Commonwealth are under consideration and will be decided at a later date. These new campuses will combine expandable capacity to position AWS for long-term growth in the Commonwealth. Amazon is among the largest private-sector employers in the Commonwealth of Virginia, establishing its first AWS data centers and operations facilities in 2006 and later announcing its second headquarters (HQ2) in Arlington in 2018. This announcement of planned investment will create at least 1,000 total new jobs across Virginia.
“AWS has a significant presence in Virginia, and we are excited that AWS has chosen to continue their growth and expand their footprint across the Commonwealth,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Virginia will continue to encourage the development of this new generation of data center campuses across multiple regions of the Commonwealth. These areas offer robust utility infrastructure, lower costs, great livability, and highly educated workforces and will benefit from the associated economic development and increased tax base, assisting the schools and providing services to the community.”
Tony Weaver – a community leader, business owner and employer in Arlington County – has announced his candidacy for the Arlington County Board of Supervisors.
“I’m running for County Board because I’m deeply committed to ensuring that every member of our community has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background,” said Weaver.
Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) and Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery (SAHNC) in Washington, D.C. will hold their annual removal of wreaths, known as Wreaths Out, on Saturday, January 21, beginning at 8 a.m. Thousands of visitors are expected to help remove approximately 257,000 wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and approximately 14,000 at SAHNC. The high volume of visitors at ANC may create traffic congestion and delays on nearby streets and at the cemetery’s entrances.
“On this special day, visitors are invited to respectfully remove the holiday wreaths placed at these hallowed grounds during the holiday season in remembrance and honor of our nation’s fallen service members and their families,” said Army National Military Cemeteries Executive Director Karen Durham-Aguilera.
Today, at the Reality Check Rally at Innovation Elementary School, 450 people gathered to demand that the Arlington County Board stop the rush to enact a flawed Missing Middle Housing Plan (MMHP) that experts and many residents agree is not ready for prime time. (View the livestreamed Rally on Twitter @ _AFUT.) Co-sponsored by Arlingtonians for Upzoning Transparency (AFUT) and Arlingtonians for Our Sustainable Future (ASF), the Rally featured local housing and other professionals who said that County promises made to Arlington residents when the MM Housing Study was launched have not been kept.
Instead, the current plan will accelerate gentrification, reducing Arlington’s diversity; displace moderate-and low-income households, including seniors, persons with disabilities and renters; raise property values and taxes; reduce tree canopy and greenspace; and further overload schools, infrastructure and services. The County has not studied potential impacts nor developed strategies to address them. See table of County claims – and the Reality.
The Virginia State Police (VSP) is steadily making progress with its ongoing restoration efforts of several data systems and webpages. As of 11 a.m. Friday (Jan. 6, 2023), access to the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) was restored for Virginia law enforcement queries. The VSP Information Technology Division’s application and engineering teams worked through the night and are now focused on reinstating VCIN-affiliated systems, to include the Computerized Criminal History (CCH) and the Virginia Firearms Transaction V-Check system. All stakeholders are being updated as the situation evolves.
The VCIN outage occurred mid-morning Jan. 5, 2023, when the fire suppression system was triggered in the data center located at the VSP Administrative Headquarters in North Chesterfield. There was no fire, but the system’s activation adversely impacted the server that supports the VCIN and several affiliated programs.
Avant Bard Theatre to Debut World Premiere of “Billy and George”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today celebrated House passage of the Respect For Marriage Act, sponsored by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). The bill repeals the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act, protects same-sex and interracial marriage for federal purposes, and provides additional protections at the state level. With House passage, this historic bill heads to President Biden for signature.
Beyer said:
WASHINGTON, DC (December 7, 2022) – Don your ugliest holiday sweaters, because Bar Ivy is hosting its inaugural Holiday Wine Dinner on Tuesday, December 13, featuring creative fare paired with eclectic French wines and a festive dose of seasonal spirit.
Executive Chef Jonathan Till and Chef/Owner Nathan Beauchamp have collaborated on a delicious four-course savory menu (plus some special sweet surprise endings) such as Baked Oyster (with leeks, brioche, fennel pollen); Steelhead Trout (with puff pastry, dill, crème fraiche, smoked roe); Sturgeon (with savoy cabbage, crispy ham, mustard butter); and Venison (with chestnut polenta, juniper, red currants).
